Dixit, Vohra to gauge mood in the West

The ministry of external affairs is playing coy about the
visit of former foreign secretary J N Dixit and former home
secretary N N Vohra to the United Kingdom and the United
States to meet officials.

A ministry of external affairs spokesman said he "supposed
Dixit and Vohra's visit is sponsored by the government" as
part of its effort to shape India's post-Kargil foreign and
defence policy. Vohra was also a former defence secretary
and secretary in the prime minister's officer, while Dixit,
after his retirement in 1994, has been active in the seminar
circuit.

The spokesman said that such efforts complemented and
supplemented the government's initiatives as it sought to
reach out to the other countries. "It is customary and
normal to support the government's diplomatic effort," he
said.

He stated that both Dixit and Vohra are well known and
respected individuals, known both in India and the West, and
both of whom have been active after their retirement a few
years ago. "The aim is to use their knowledge and influence
to strengthen our regular government-to-government talks,"
he said.

"The effort is to create a consensus and disseminate the
national perspective of India on the various issues facing
our country after the Kargil conflict," the MEA spokesman
added.

The spokesman pointed out that Dixit and Vohra will be
meeting with think tanks and non-governmental organisations,
besides government institutions in the UK and the US.

Dixit and Vohra are scheduled to meet US Undersecretary
of State Thomas Pickering besides other officials. Their
mission is also to find out the attitude and perceptions of
the US administration and non-government organisations towards India.

In London, Dixit and Vohra spoke at the influential International Institute of Strategic Studies, and met officials at the
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Incidentally, Dixit and Vohra will be reporting on their
mission to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and not to the
ministry of external affairs.

New Delhi is looking at three areas: the dialogue on
Kashmir, India-Pakistan relations, and the nuclear
arms-related treaties. These are the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty, the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, and the Missile
Proliferation Control Treaty.

However, a former senior MEA official was sceptical about
the usefulness of Dixit-Vohra's visit to London and
Washington DC.

The former official said that if the government's aim was to
influence the US policy, it was unlikely to be successful. "With
due regard and respect for both Dixit and Vohra, who are
fine and intelligent men, it is doubtful if one can influence the US policy. We can give them our point of view, but the US response is based on its own interests," he pointed
out.

Second, the former official pointed out, given that India is
due for elections next month, the US was unlikely to make
any firm commitments to the present government. "After all,
Dixit and Vohra are part of an informal arrangement,
and only after the election results are out will the formal
part make sense. Right now, the US is unlikely to make any
decision or commitment," he added.

Nevertheless, the former official said that Dixit-Vohra's visit did serve one major purpose, that of a sounding board. "The positive aspect is that they can get to know the perceptions of US officials and influential think tanks and NGOs vis-à-vis India in the aftermath of Kargil. And both Dixit and Vohra are regarded well to hear and find out how the US perceives India today," he stated.